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Also means Velasquez, McHugh, and McCullers or Kazmir might start the subsequent Angels series. We'll get our first glimpse at the 6-man rotation situation with next Thursday's starter.
Maybe something like this starting tomorrow:
Kazmir
Feldman
Keuchel
Velasquez
McHugh
Kazmir
Feldman
Keuchel
McCullers
McHugh
repeat those 10.
Folty to go back to work at Low-A tonight. A bit surprising given the Doran/Oberholtzer promotions and Folty's dominance for the first half of low-A.
ETA:
Tropeano continued his good season with a 2-hit, 3 BB, no runs 6 inning start
When they do promote, they will have a decision to make.
Brownie just said Astros have signed Heineman. Don't see anything on the internets yet.
I thought I read where Hinojosa was asking for 2.5 million to opt out of UT. Unless the astros are able to convince a bunch of top 10 round guys to go WAY under slot, or can't sign 3 or 4, I don't think they could offer even 1 million without losing draft picks. Would be a huge get for Lunhow though.
Round 9, pick 279: Daniel Minor RHP Texas A&M CC
Astros 11th round pick (339): LHP Hunter Virant, Camarillo (Calif.) HS. BA Had him listed as the 53rd best prospect in the draft.
10/309: Joe Bircher, LHP, senior at Bradley University. #421 on BA 500.
The Pirates' budget is $6,563,500. If they go over by $328,175 they pay 75% tax on the overage and lose a first round pick. Of course Boras doesn't care about the Pirates. The fallout from this new slot system is going to be fun to watch.
Power will come. He just has to be patient.
You do realize you cant possibly expect Bog's AAA numbers to carry over, right? And that Bourgeois 39 at bats are not sufficient to base expectations off of. Not shooting down the platoon idea, but the combined line you've come up with is not what to base your argument on.
Why are Carlos' contract and his playing time related? It's a sunk cost.
Speaking of Carlos. He is now batting .325 since May 1st
Classy move by the Rangers
How to get a quarterback. BJ 101.
PGCrosschecker on Lee:
Very nice arm, 18-year old JC guy who can touch 93-94 but is raw with his mechanics. Basically a HS draft but a high ceiling.
Another Oklahoma boy (Bundy, Bradley), Adrian Houser shows more projection than talent at this stage. I feel he has another two gears in him long term. He is long and light in the pants and should grow into a solid starting pitcher long term. He has some feel for a nice fastball in the 92-94 mph range and has hit 96 mph, but is very raw with everything else in his game. I do like his curveball at times, but he tends to throw it way too hard for my taste. If he draws it down a few ticks and moves to a more traditional power curve, it has the chance to be an above average pitch. He has some slight feel for the change up. His mechanics could use some slight cleaning, but I think he is still growing into his body. I suspect that if he were to honor his OU commitment he would be a 1st round pitcher in the future. It is wise to draft and over slot it for him, definitely if he’s available come the 3rd or 4th round.
My understanding is that an optimistic view would be Springer making a contribution no earlier than 2014.
those who are UT fans, maybe. i doubt anyone else would care. he picked a bad time to suck.
I could be misunderinterpreting his remarks but the comments from Heck sound to me like he's preparing draft watchers for the eventuality that they may very well not seek a pitcher at 11. Indeed, if the pitching is as deep as is reported this year then I'm with you, if there's a guy who plays middle infield who's too good to pass up, especially if he's particularly young, take him.
Considering the depth of this draft, esp in RHP, if Lindor is at the top of their board when picking then go get him. There will be other power arms at 69 and maybe even 99.
At 11 in this draft he would be considered a much more talented prospect than Mier was when he was taken at 21 in 2009. IOW in 2009 Lindor might have been a top 5 or even 3 pick.
I enjoy BA. I am not at all offended by what they wrote. Just poking fun.
Will wait for BA's report on his runs created though before passing judgement.
BA's "Experts Draft 2.0" (LINK)
11. ASTROS (John): Jim just ruined my fantasy of getting Jungmann at 11. It's disappointing, but I'll find a way to move on by taking Connecticut righthander Matt Barnes. He's the kind of high-upside player Bobby Heck and his staff have focused on in recent years, and has dominated from start to finish in 2011. I could also see taking Sonny Gray, Jed Bradley or South Carolina prep righty Taylor Guerrieri here, but to me Barnes has upside and will get to the majors quickly. With a team as needy as the one in Houston, that should be a consideration when other factors are fairly equal.
Note: BA had Lindor at 8 (Indians), Archie Bradley at 9 (Cubs), and Jungmann at 10 (Padres).
Funniest play by a CF I've ever seen was when Underpants was learning how to play CF in Round Rock. There can be some swirling winds inside the park sometimes, so on this night it didn't seem particularly windy, but nonetheless there was enough wind to cause this hilarious play to develop.
This was somewhere in the 8th inning or so, Pence is in CF and the Express are leading by several runs. However, the opposing team has men on base and their best slugger is at bat. He hits what looks like a gapper to left centerfield. Pence hears the crack of the bat, notices the ball is traveling to his right (our left) and he puts his head down and start to run hard... head still down. He is running and running and running, never once looking at the flight of the ball... he head was firmly looking at his feet picking up turf and laying it down. My dog does this sometimes, and once he ran right smack into a tree while chasing a flying HEB sack across the back yard. Back to Pence... I am wanting so much to scream "LOOK UP!!!!", but decide it is best to see how this play turns out.
Well Pence decides he probably has done the fair amount of running to a spot where he thinks the ball will land (as if he has some sort of magical mathematical mind to measure speed, force, distance, wind velocity, and trajectory in his head that no one else has). He slows down to try and find the ball just as the ball is on it's last few feet from landing. The problem is, the ball is landing pretty much where Pence has abandoned several yards away. The bend on the ball with the wind made the ball land somewhere nearer to where Pence was and nowhere near where he now resided. Had he kept his *eye on the ball* and not his feet, he would have noticed that he didn't have to run as hard, maybe take several jogging steps from his position over his right. There was an awkward silence and then some laughter by some in the crowd, me included. It looked like something out of a Buster Keaton movie. The ball sitting there on the ground near centerfield with no CF in sight because he was now over in left centerfield gap looking back where he used to be with the "Aw shit!" look on his face.
Ryan (Owasso): Jim, I was shocked to hear Astros on Bradley given his contract demands & team's history of signing slot players. Do you think Crane has already told Drayton & Ed to take BPA and he'll deal with the $$$ after the sale is approved?
Jim Callis: Archie Bradley isn't going to get his $20 million asking price, so I wouldn't read into it. I think the Astros are locked in on best player available--they have to be with as bad as their big league club is and as thin as their farm system is. If Bradley is their guy, he's a better prospect than Zach Lee was last year, so he'll get more money (say, $6 million). But the Astros can give Bradley a two-sport contact and spread the bonus over five years, so they might not be paying him more in 2011 than a straight slot bonus would be anyway.
Until he heads to OU...
Jim Callis: The stuff is very good. Fastball is 91-93 to 95 mph with good sink, angle and depth, his slider is solid and his changeup has promise. He's the type of guy who can really pitch off his fastball and get lefties and righties out with it.[/i]
Crawford's bat > Wallace's bat.
Crawford in LF > Lee in LF.
Lee at 1B only marginally < Wallace at 1B.
Drayton's wallet >>>>>>> Mine.
I'm not sure why so much criticism. He realizes the Astros are in transition, but stills wants a team that could be mildly competitive. I appreciate that.
The idea that he has to trade Wandy, Pence, Bourn, Myers etc. for younger guys is misguided. There is no guarantee that you get shit for those guys. The club in 2013 will be not be drastically changed by what you could get for those guys. You might as well be watchable in the meantime imo.
You figure that Wandy's trade value is too low in the team's view and nobody wants to trade for Lyon's contract. Wandy will hopefully be better bait new year. Surprised Lindstrom isn't getting more talk this deadline.
RD 13, #393: Davis Duran, 2B, JR, Oklahoma State.
Rd 12, #363 RHP James Robinson, SR Georgia Tech
Third baseman Kyle Redinger, a Penn State signee, has a lanky 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame with plenty of power potential and athleticism, but scouts agreed that he needs to develop his overall game, which is raw. He could also help the Nittany Lions on the mound.
Via Seiler at MLB Bonus Baby (paraphrased): Was widely considered the best Canadian prospect available in the draft, but had a rough spring and had shoulder issues late in the summer. Could be a mid-rotation started in time.
Speaking of Seiler, he put together a massive prospect guide for this draft and is selling it in PDF format at MLBBonusBaby.com. Upwards of 750 prospects for $9.95. Obviously not a ton of info on each prospect (usually 1/2 to 3/4 a page), but more info that I can find on a lot of these folks. Not a bad deal at all for $9.95 (and given the amount of work he did on this thing, I don't feel 'right' about cutting and pasting everything, but now that I've given him a plug will continue to paraphrase bits of his info...).
Rd 11, #333: Kyle Redinger, 3B, Cedar Crest HS, PA
Rd 10 (#303): Evan Grills, 6'04" LHP, 06.13.1992
Astros rd. 9 (#273): Thomas Shirley, LHP 6'5" JR Xavier
Astros rd. 8 (#243): Jake Buchanan, RHP, 6' 220 lbs, North Carolina State U.
Astros Round 5 (#153): Ben Heath, C, Penn State
I don't think I'll be available much tomorrow before the first round, so here are my official guesses out of my ass. Keep in mind the Astros are being very tight lipped.
8. Stetson Allie
19. either Eibner, DeShields, or Austin Wilson depending on availability.
33. Paxton or Solis.
If what I've read about Cox's defense is true, the pick just doesn't make any sense. It's the Smoak scenario redux.
I am curious about him. His walk rate is above average, but he strikes out a bunch. Does he miss a lot of hittable pitches, a particular type of hittable pitch, or does he have a particular weakness for breaking balls in the dirt?
Scuttlebutt over at TCB is that in an interview with Matt Thomas, Wade said the draft budget will between $8.5 and $10MM...anyone over here hear that? IIRC, that's way more than previous years, assuming it's accurate. Makes me think they might actually take a run at some like Wilson...though my gut feeling is that a lot of that money will be used to take HS guys over slot in later rounds.
BA's prospect chat also links the Astros to Chad Lewis. LINK
Q: Any ideas as to which way Houston is leaning with thier multiple picks?
A (Dave Perkin - BA): I hear they like Chad Lewis a great deal.
BA had Lewis at 115 in their top 200. LINK
Chad Lewis, 3b, Marina HS, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Prototype third baseman who just needs to make some refinements at the plate.
IMO Ranaudo was looking at end of round 1/supp 1 before last night. He's clearly recovering and last night's performance moved him up to 19 consideration. I don't know how many more starts he'll get before the draft, but if they're this good he could go before 19.
I think Cox is wrong. Wade has professed a desire for speedy middle infielders. IIRC, that one reason he went after Matsui. If they project Cox as a 3b, then maybe. Though I still think they're hoping for a college arm.
you are a star-struck dreamer. Pam, is that you?
I didn't see it that way at all. The pitch he hit was a slider away and he happened to turn on it just in time to hit it well enough that it went deep, by inches. He's still quick enough with the bat to hit a mistake hard but I thought last night's HR was more of the blind hog finding the acorn. What's he doing trying to pull a slider away anyway? That's definitely not progress as a hitter.
I'd love to be wrong. He's talented enough to survive at the major league level on his ability but the frustrating part is that he has so much talent that seems to be just a tick shy of coming together. If he doesn't add development in the mental part of his game then he's topped out and survival will last for a couple years or so. If he can put it together, he could be a special player for several years.
Last I read, the deal was pending approval from MLB.
http://www.dplbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=117:jean-carlos-batista-agreed-to-terms-with-the-astros&catid=1:latest-news
Does anyone know where to find a scouting report on him?
Is there some point to this? Is it part of a film, or just Ferrell continuing his slide to...whereever the hell he's going.
You're referring to the maximum salary reduction, which is 20% of the previous season or 70% of the previous two seasons. The maximum salary reduction does not apply to arbitration between a free agent and his former club. The club could theoretically offer as little as the league minimum. However, it's basically unheard of for a player to get a reduction in arbitration, and in the case of a Type A free agent, an All-Star, he should expect at least a 20% raise. I can't imagine Tejada being awarded less than $15MM in arbitration, quite possibly as much as $18MM.
I was thinking Valverde would be the only one they'd offer, precisely because he's the most likely to get a long-term deal paying him more per year than he's earning now.
I'll offer the very tiny amount that I (think I) know about arbitration/FA compensation. A player's salary cannot be reduced by more than a small % through arbitration, and in almost all cases, will stay the same or go up. Therefore, if the Astros offered, and Tejada accepted, he would almost certainly be awarded something close to his 2008 salary (around $13 mil). Given the blow the FA market has taken with the economy, it seems unlikely that Tejada, despite his success this year, would get anything close to $13mil/year on the open market, so he would almost certainly accept arb if offered.
MLB Trade Rumors just put out their estimates of the Elias free agent rankings.
Relevant Astros:
Type A - Tejada, Valverde, Hawkins
Type B - Pudge, Brocail
I think it's pretty clear that they will non-tender Brocail, but they should offer to all three type A guys.
I didn't think you would come back after your 5 infielder comment and the resulting ridicule.
The game ends in the 8th? Mercy rule?
So, do you pull whiney Ortiz here? How much is enough?
Matsui saves the day, beating Kershaw to the bag for the force out at second. Side retired.
Also, Pudge made a strong throw to Tejada with one out and runners on the corners for the second out on Kershaw's sac bunt attempt.
Astros 4, Dojers 3 Bottom 4th
Great. We'll have the hottest eighth hitter in baseball.
I understood that a Dutch Shortstop was $20 extra.
Nearly completed. Hopefully early next week we'll roll it out.
Geary is tradeable. I wouldn't be surprised if he's included to land a servicable 3B to platoon with Blum.
I'm not sure the extent of involvement that God had in the negotiations between Randy Wolf and the Houston Astros, but do us all a favor and read more and post less.
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Man I would love to see Sexson in an Astros uniform.
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Can Sexson play 3rd? CF?
